Small Beginnings
Charles Mackay
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Background
Background
Charles Mackay was a Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter. He was educated at the Caledonian Asylum in London and then went on to study languages at a school in Brussels. Mackay was born in Perth, Scotland on March 27, 1814 and died in London on December 24,1889.
Poem and Annotations
Poem and Annotations
A traveler on the dusty roadStrewed acorns on the lea;And one took root and sprouted up,And grew into a tree.Love sought its shade, at evening time,To breathe his early vows;And age was pleased, in heats of noon,To bask beneath its boughs;The dormouse loved its dangling twigs,The birds sweet music bore;It stood a glory in its place,A blessing evermore.
A little spring had lost its wayAmid the grass and fern,A passing stranger scooped a wellWhere weary men might turn;He walled it in, and hung with careA ladle at the brink;He thought not of the deed he did,But judged that all might drink.He paused again, and lo! the well,By summer never dried,Had cooled ten thousand parching tonguesAnd saved a life beside.
A dreamer dropped a random thought;'Twas old, and yet 'twas new;A simple fancy of the brain,But strong in being true.It shone upon a genial mind,And, lo! its light becameA lamp of life, a beacon ray,A monitory flame;The thought was small, its issue great;A watch-fire on the hill;It shed its radiance far adown,And cheers the valley still.
A nameless man, amid a crowdThat thronged the daily mart,Let fall a word of Hope and Love,Unstudied from the heart;A whisper on the tumult thrown,A transitory breath—It raised a brother from the dust,It saved a soul from death.O germ! O fount! O word of love!O thought at random cast!Ye were but little at the first,But mighty at the last.
A little spring had lost its wayAmid the grass and fern,A passing stranger scooped a wellWhere weary men might turn;He walled it in, and hung with careA ladle at the brink;He thought not of the deed he did,But judged that all might drink.He paused again, and lo! the well,By summer never dried,Had cooled ten thousand parching tonguesAnd saved a life beside.
A dreamer dropped a random thought;'Twas old, and yet 'twas new;A simple fancy of the brain,But strong in being true.It shone upon a genial mind,And, lo! its light becameA lamp of life, a beacon ray,A monitory flame;The thought was small, its issue great;A watch-fire on the hill;It shed its radiance far adown,And cheers the valley still.
A nameless man, amid a crowdThat thronged the daily mart,Let fall a word of Hope and Love,Unstudied from the heart;A whisper on the tumult thrown,A transitory breath—It raised a brother from the dust,It saved a soul from death.O germ! O fount! O word of love!O thought at random cast!Ye were but little at the first,But mighty at the last.
Analysis
Analysis
"Small Beginnings" is a poem about little actions resulting in major victories. In the poem, Mackay uses four separate stories to deliver one unified message. All four stories show that what requires little effort for one, might mean the world for another, or even multitudes. The message of this poem is to not pass up an opportunity to do some good, especially if it is of little cost to do. One should take the perspective of those that could be helped through their generosity. This poem has a tone of humbleness and accomplishment.
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